The present invention relates to foldable portable telephones comprising a main body case provided with a plurality of manual keys, and a closure case connected to the main body case openably, and more particularly to a foldable portable telephone which detects opening-closing of the closure case, and controls on/off based on the detection.
FIG. 15 shows a foldable portable telephone which is already known and which is provided with a magnet 9 on one of a main body case 10 and a closure case 20, and is provided with a leaf-spring contact member 91 accommodated into a vacuum tube on the other case. With the foldable portable telephone, when the closure case 20 is closed toward the main body case 10, attraction of the magnet 9 brings contacts of the leaf-spring contact member 91 into being closed, to detect closure case 20 in its closed state.
As shown in FIG. 16, already known is a portable telephone comprising a main body case 10 which has a dome switch 93 incorporated therein and a closure case 20 which is formed with a projection 92 to depress the dome switch 93. With the foldable portable telephone, the closure case 20 is closed toward the main body case 10 causing the projection 92 to depress the dome switch 93 to bring the contacts into being closed, which detects the closure case 20 in its closed state.
However, with the foldable portable telephone shown in FIG. 15, there is need of large space for accommodating a magnet 9 and a leaf-spring contact member 91 entailing the problem of making the telephone large-sized in addition to the problem of costly leaf-spring contact member 91 which is accommodated in a vacuum tube.
On the other hand, the foldable portable telephone shown in FIG. 16 has the problem of being hazardous since the projection 92 is provided on the closure case 20. Furthermore, the dome portion of the dome switch 93 is made of rubber to have the portion impaired owing to age deterioration, so that there is likelihood that the contacts are remained closed not to be opened. Moreover, the dome switch 93 is switched on/off at a various position due to dimensions errors of the projection 92, therefore entailing the problem of impaired reliability of opening and closing detection.
An object of the present invention is to provide a foldable portable telephone which can be made compact, is inexpensive, and safe in eliminating a projection, and further has a high reliability for opening-closing detection.
The present invention provides a foldable portable telephone which comprises a main body case 1 provided with manual keys 12, and a closure case 2 connected to the main body case 1 by a hinge mechanism for covering the manual keys 12. Opened state or closed state of the closure case 2 relative to the main body case 1 can be electrically detected. The main body case 1 and the closure case 2 are provided respectively with barrel portions 14, 23 aligned coaxially with an axis of rotation of the hinge mechanism. Contact pieces 4, 5 are respectively provided on opposed faces of the barrel portions 14, 23. The two contact pieces 4, 5 are in contact with or away from each other corresponding to opening or closing of the closure case 2 to constitute an opening-closing switch.
The two contact pieces 4, 5 are connected to the opening-closing detection circuit described, electrically detecting the state of the two contact pieces 4, 5 being in contact with or being away from each other. The opening or closing state of the closure case 2 can be recognized due to the detection.
With the foldable portable telephone of the invention, the barrel portions 14, 23 rotate relative to each other according to action of closing the closure case 2 or to that of opening the closure case 2 to cause the two contact pieces 4, 5 to be in contact with or away from having the switch opened or closed, which detects opened or closed state of the closure case 2 owing to the opening-closing detection circuit described.
According to a specific embodiment, the two contact pieces 4, 5 of the two cases 1, 2 are provided at a position wherein the pieces can be slidably in contact with each other when the closure case 2 is closed. In this case, the closure case 2 is caused to be closed from opened state to cause the two pieces 4, 5 to be slidably in contact with each other to have the switch closed.
According to another specific embodiment, the contact pieces 4, 5 of the two cases 1, 2 are provided at a position wherein the pieces can be slidably in contact with each other when the closure case 2 is opened. In this case, the closure case 2 is caused to be opened from closed state to cause the pieces 4, 5 to be slidably in contact with each other to have the switch closed. With the specific construction, even if the closure case 2 is slightly opened, the switch is not closed, so that the user can confirm the caller with the closure case 2 slightly opened upon receiving a incoming call by setting to receiving a call when the switch is closed. Accordingly, the user may close the closure case 2 when an incoming call is placed by a caller to whom the user would not like to talk. This can save the power to be consumed.
Stated more specifically, the barrel portions 14, 23 of the two cases 1, 2 are respectively formed into a hollow cylinder which is coaxial with the axis of rotation of the hinge mechanism, and are slidably in contact with each other on the opposed faces. The contact pieces 4, 5 are respectively accommodated into the recessed portions 18, 26 formed into a depth corresponding to the thickness of the pieces 4, 5 on the opposed faces. Protruding portions 41, 51 formed on opposed faces of the two contact pieces 4, 5 are slidably in contact with each other. With the specific construction, the two barrel portions 14, 23 can be provided with the contact pieces 4, 5 with the barrel portions 14, 23 of the two cases 1, 2 slidably in contact with each other, so that the provision of the contact pieces 4, 5 does not make the portable telephone greater in size. Protruding portions 41, 51 formed on opposed faces of the contact pieces 4, 5 are slidably in contact with each other to have the switch reliably closed, whereby high reliability is obtained in the operation.
With the foldable portable telephone of the invention described, since the contact pieces 4, 5 for detecting opened-closed state of the closure case 2 are provided with use of the barrel portions 14, 23 originally formed on the junction of the main body case 1 and the closure case 2, the portable telephone can be made smaller than conventionally. Further, the two pieces 4, 5 can be respectively formed of a small metal piece, and expensive components are thus unnecessary, so that less expensive portable telephone can be provided than conventionally. Moreover, the two contact pieces 4, 5 are adapted to be provided between the opposed faces of the two barrel portions 14, 23, and the main body case 1 and the closure case 2 are not formed with a projection, hence safety. Furthermore, the opened-closed state of the closure case 2 is detected by the contact pieces 4, 5 of metal in contact with or away from each other, hence higher reliability.